(For more information, scroll down the topics. I did a lesson on semi-colons a few years ago.)

Primarily, semicolons join two independent clauses. In other words, two complete sentences that are very closely linked. The clauses are "stand-alone" in that they each contain all the necessary elements of a complete sentence. Noun + verb. Noun + verb. The key is they are closely linked.

She was hungry; she hadn't eaten all day.

Tom was late for work; his alarm didn't wake him up.

Winter has arrived; it snowed last night.

There are other uses for the semi-colon, but I'll stop there for now. I like the variety offered by using the semi-colon. It helps give emphasis to statements that might get "lost" in the mundaneness of using "because," "for," and "since." For the Writing Challenge, it can shave off a word or two, while tightening up meaning. Just don't get carried away. Too much of a good thing is ... too much.

Ann Grover Stocking

"What remains of a story after it is finished? Another story..." Eli Wiesel